The Illinois Department of Agriculture
recently released hand-washing guidelines in an effort to help
prevent the spread of Escherichiacoli and other potentially deadly bacteria at petting zoos.
While well-intentioned, the guidelines simply aren’t good
enough when children’s lives are at risk, particularly as
hand-washing does nothing to prevent spread of E. coli by inhalation.

In addition to the recent E. coli outbreak that
sickened at least 26 children and four adults who visited petting
zoos at fairs in Florida, 108 children became ill last year after
visiting a petting zoo at the North Carolina State Fair.

E. coli also
sickened 82 people at the Lane County Fair in Washington in 2002.
Investigators believe the bacteria spread through the air inside
the goats-and-sheep barn. Investigators also traced a 2001 E. coli outbreak that
sickened 23 people who attended the Lorain County Fair in Ohio to
an animal show barn and determined that E. coli were in the
rafters, on bleachers, on the walls and in sawdust on the floor.

Hand-washing guidelines do little to protect
people and absolutely nothing to help animals. The Animal Welfare
Act, which doesn’t even cover birds, horses, and some other
species, only requires petting zoos to give certain animals enough
room to stand up and turn around. Many petting zoos fail to meet
even these minimal standards. For more information, visit
wildlifepimps.com.

Heather Moore
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Norfolk, Va.

CAGING BIRDS IS UNNATURAL

I have to take exception with your listing of
the Fourth Annual South County Exotic Caged Bird Fair under the
“nature” category in your June 9 edition. In my
opinion, caging birds is one of the most twisted and cruel acts
performed against nature by humans. Of all the creatures in the
world, birds, whose flying represents freedom and unhindered
movement, should be the last animal that deserves to be imprisoned.
This does not even take into account the isolation that these
animals are subjected to when they are removed from their flocks.
You only have to watch the movie Winged
Migration to experience the
wonder and beauty of flying. By caging birds, we are not only
making them suffer a life of imprisonment but also encouraging
poachers to remove them from their natural habitats. I understand,
but don’t approve of, the need for zoos in educating people,
but the practice of having exotic animals in homes should be
considered illegal and immoral.

Jan Mier
Chatham

WE FAILED CHELSEY SHORES

There is a reason Chelsey Shores ended her
life. Whatever the reason, she obviously felt she could no longer
cope with it.

One reason given in most articles was the
bullying and harassment to which she was subjected. The malicious
acts were committed by some of her classmates. Supposedly she was
treated in such a manner because she was “different.”
Regardless of the reason for the bullying, teasing, and harassment,
it did occur. The reason is not important. What is important is why
it occurred at all and why it was allowed to continue once it
started. It is highly improbable that those who were involved in
Chelsey’s everyday life were not aware of her torment, yet no
one came to her aid. Chelsey’s death will and should haunt
the tormentors and those who failed her for the rest of their lives.

John Donne wrote, “No man is an island,
entire of it self; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of
the main. . . any man’s death diminishes me, because I am
involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the
bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” Chelsey Shores’ death
has diminished all of us. We failed her.

John D. Kolaz
Springfield

Editor’s note: Chelsey Shores died of a
self-inflicted gunshot wound on June 6. In her valedictory at
Auburn High School, she spoke of people who judge others unfairly,
making life “unbearable.”

PRAISE FOR CATHOLIC WORKER STORY

Your June 9 cover story by Luiza Ilie
[“Something that matters”] was just outstanding!
Beautifully written and wonderfully inspiring. Thank you!

Andrea Shields
via the Internet

HIS JOY TO SERVE

Congratulations to the Illinois Times and Luiza
Ilie for telling the story of Eric Anglada [“Something that
matters,” June 9]. How often we fail to give credit to young
people who are willing to step out of the mold and become such
selfless, caring individuals. In a world that teaches them that the
avenue to success is the bank account, large home, and prestigious
job, it is difficult to imagine a young man who can find
contentment and even joy in ministering to the disenfranchised in a
central-Illinois community. His story makes me wonder what sparks
that defining moment in making so profound a choice. Reading of his
commitment and seeing in his face such God-like euphoria in serving
others humbles me.

Barbara Fuhrwerk
Springfield

WHY BURDEN TEACHERS?

In this day of liability lawsuits, why would
Gov. Rod Blagojevich want to burden teachers with the
responsibility of screening children for mental health? What
happens if a child is improperly screened? Will teachers or schools
be held accountable and have to face liability suits?

In order to determine mental health, one has
to determine mental illness. Are teachers trained and qualified?
Why doesn’t the state work with parents instead of teachers?
Do politicians believe that parents are incapable of caring for
their children? Let’s support our teachers to teach and our
parents to parent.

The governor wants the final version of the
Illinois Children’s Mental Health Plan on his desk by the end
of June, but there’s still time for public comment. E-mail
Laura Hurwitz at lhurwitz@voices4kids.org or call 312-516-5569.

Karen Brockelsby Edinburg

PRESERVE OUR DEMOCRATIC LEGACY

Students can’t move on to high school
without passing the U.S. Constitution test. Yet they can graduate
from it without fully grasping the First Amendment. Why? Because
the education system is failing teens when it comes to teaching
them the greatest civics lesson of all: free speech and free press.

A recent survey by the Knight Foundation
revealed some disturbing findings. Of students surveyed at 544 high
schools across the United States, three-fourths have no real
opinion on the First Amendment, and more than a third think it goes
too far in the rights it guarantees.

Many also believe people shouldn’t
express an unpopular opinion, but that fits right in with their
position on newspapers. Only half say newspapers should be
permitted to publish freely without government approval of stories.
Given the post-9/11 climate in this country, their views are not
entirely without precedent. They might have first come across
similar notions while reading 1984. But then on a very real scale they witnessed the
willingness of some adults to hand over certain rights in the hopes
of increased safety. Ignorance spells doom for a democracy. If we
want multiple perspectives to not only be allowed but also
encouraged, we need to act now. We must obliterate support for
censorship — it’s fallacious and it’s the
antithesis of what makes our nation strong.

Schools should provide in-depth lessons about
the First Amendment so students don’t take liberties for
granted. These lessons should be mandatory. We can’t think of
a more critical and relevant component of U.S. history than talking
to teens about their rights and the importance of protecting them.

The Illinois First Amendment Center is not
content to let the foundation on which America rests be eroded. We
look forward to when the curriculum, crafted last month by a group
of teachers, is ready for eighth- through 12th-graders next fall.
We also would urge teens to get involved in their student
newspapers and, better yet, for the schools to think of ways to
increase exposure to the media in the classroom and as an
extracurricular activity.

Teen attitudes about the First Amendment are
especially crucial because each generation of citizens helps define
what freedom means in our society. These teens are future leaders
and lawmakers. Let’s make it our duty to turn them into
well-informed, responsible citizens.

Jim Slonoff
Past president, Illinois Press Association
Hinsdale

CORRECTION

Roberta Codemo’s new storytelling
program on WQNA (88.3 FM) is Story
Bites. The name of the show, which
airs at 3 p.m. Mondays, was incorrect in the June 9 edition. Illinois Times regrets
the error.